The Temple of Angkor Wat, dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu, was erected as his state temple and capitol city by Suryavarman II, an early 12th-century king. With the decline of the ancient Khmer empire, Angkor Wat
was turned into a Buddhist temple; that continuous maintenance has
helped its preservation. The temple, the epitome of the high classical
style of Khmer architecture, has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing
on its national flag and becoming the country's prime attraction for
visitors. In 1992, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee declared the
monument and the whole city of Angkor a World Heritage Site.